Dispensing mechanism



' J. W. SIGGE DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed Jan 19, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v I 0 t: s? 2 a r 2 m r mllmu WITNESSES IN V EN TOR ATTORNEYS atented Nova ll, l924i.

gild 'j JOSEPH WALTER SIGGE, SU'PERXOR, "WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE VIGKEB, 0F SUPEBIDRQXVISCONSTN. I

DISPENSING MIECI-IANISM.

Application filled January 19, 1924. Serial No. 687,390.

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, Josnrrr WALTER Srcen, a subject of Germany, who has made application and obtained first papers to become a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Superior, in the county of Douglas and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dispensing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a dispensing mechanism wherein crackers, peanuts, popcorn or similar articles may be handled and dispensed in a sanitary and convenient manner and in measured quantities.

Other objects and advantagesof the invention reside in certain novel features of the construction, combination and arrange ment of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in'the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a view in horizontal section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a View in vertical section on line 3-3 of Figure 2; i

Figure 4E isa view in vertical section on line 4-4. of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a group view in perspective of the elements of the dispensing mecha nism. e

Referring to the drawings wherein for the sake of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral lO designates a base having feet 11 whereby it may be conveniently supported on a table, counter or the like.

'On top of the base 10 a bearing block 12 is fixed and on this block 12 a casing designated generally at 13 is rotatably mounted, thecasing13 enclosingthe parts of the dispensing mechanism to behereinafter more fully described. This casing 13 includes a'bottorn wall 14 pivotally connected, asat :15, to the base 10 and block 12. It also includes integral front, top and side walls, designated at 15,16 and 17fresp'ectrvely, and'suitably secured to the bottom wall 14. A back wall 18 ofthe angular form shown in Figures 3 and 4 completes the casing. It' is to be understood that the casing may provided with a neck 24 whereby the container may be filled. A removable cap 25 is engaged with the neck 24 for closing the opening defined by said neck.

Below the opening in the top wall 16 of the casing a delivery chute 26 is arranged, the delivery chute being held in position by an attaching plate 27 which fits snugly up against the under side of the top plate 16 and is held in such position by a plurality of. bendable clips 28 fastened to the underside of the top and engaged with the attaching plate 27. The front wall 15 of the easing is provided with an opening 29 whereby a removable drawer 30 may be readily slid into the casing and removed therefrom. This drawer is provided with a finger piece 81 to facilitate manipulation thereof. The

inner side wall of the drawer is engageable along its. upper edge with a lip 32 formed on the delivery chute 26, and in this manner any articles which slide down the chute fall into the drawer 30. The delivery chute 26 and the drawer 30 have a transverse extent less than the transverse extent of the casing 13 and on either side of these elements a vertical partition 32 is arranged, the vertical partitions 32 being soldered or otherwise suitably secured to the delivery chute and having o liset portions 33 permitting of'the useof a drawer 30 which has a transverse extent slightly greater than the transverse extent of the chute 26 so that the articles falling down the chute will not strike the end walls of the drawer but will fall into the interior thereof.

Dispensing mechanism is provided for controlling the delivery of the articles from the container 21 onto the chute 36 and consequently into the drawer 30. This dispensing rnechanism includes a shallow trough or pan which constitutes a combined ejector and measuring element. The pan 35 is fixed to and carried by a crank shaft 36 and is disposed immediately above the portion of the chute 26 which underlies the opening in the top wall 16 communicating with the container 21. The crank shaft 36 has bearing portions or journals 37 which are rotatably mounted in bearings provided therefor in the partitions 32. It is to be noted at this point that the spaces or chamor the articles becoming bound.

bers provided between the partitions 32 and the side walls 1'? of the casing 13 are provided for the purpose of accommodatmg the trunnions 37 and similar projecting parts and also for accommodating the operating mechanism to be hereinafter described. One of the journals 37 of the crank shaft 36 is provided with an integral crank arm 38. In order to facilitate assembly of the crank shaft with the partition one of the journals 37 is received in the bearing opening in one of the partitions 32. The other partition 32 is formed with a vertical slot 39 receiv ing the other ournal portion 37 of the crank shaft and a clip 40 pivotally mounted on the casing prevents accidental displacement of the crank shaft from this vertical slot.

A swinging closure plate 41, is provided and operates in conjunction with the pan 35 to prevent a flow or delivery of the arti cles from the container 21 atthe time that the contents of the pan 35 are being delivered into the drawer 20. The plate 41 is preferably made of material which is yieldable to some extent although sufficiently rigid to sustain the weight of the articles within the container 21. Preferably the plate 41 is made of rubber or leather and has its free edge provided with a series of notches 42. The purpose of making the plate 41 partly yieldable is to preclude the possibility of the articles being crushed of attaching wings 43 embrace and are riveted to the upper edge of the plate 41 and these attaching wings have integrally formed therewith a pair of spaced sleeves 44. 7 These sleeves 44 are alined with a single sleeve 45 formed at one end of a slidable carrier 46 and a shaft 47 is inserted through the alined ears 44 and 45. The shaft is suitably secured to the ears 44 but is freely rotatable in the ear 45. One end of the shaft 47 is provided with a crank arm 48. The slidable carrier 46 is supported for limited sliding movement in notches 49 provided in the upper edges of the partitions 32. Endwise displacement of the carrier 46 is prevented by depending lugs 50 which slidably engage the adjacent portions of the partitions 32 below the notches 49. Means is provided for adjusting the carrier 46 back and forth and preferably comprisesan adjusting screw 51 rotatably mounted in the A pair bearing 52 provided therefor in the front wall 15 of the casing 13, and having its head which constitutes the operating means for the screw projecting exteriorly of the casing. The adjusting screw 51 is operatively engaged with the threaded opening of a nut 53 the nut 53 being secured to the under side of the carrier 46.

A common operating plunger 55 is pro vided for the pan 35 and the swinging closure plate 41. The plunger 55 is mounted for reciprocatory movement in a sleeve bearing 56 carried by the front wall 15 of the casing and the plunger has, an operating knob or head 57 on a portion thereof which projects beyond the front wall of the casing. A retractile coil spring 58 encircles the sleeve bearing and has one end abutting the inner side of the front wall of the casing and the other end of the coil spring connected to the plunger 55 whereby the coil spring serves to yieldably hold the plunger 55 projected from the casing as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The plunger 55 is provided with slots 60 and 61 in which the crank arms 38 and 43 are respectively fitted.

In use the dispensing mechanism and container being rotatably mounted on the base may be readily turned by the person using the device so as to be positioned for most convenient operation. With the parts positioned as shown in Figure 4 the pan 35 is filled; with the articles which fall therein from the.

container 21. These articles may be crackers, peanuts, popcorn or any form of confection or other edibles adapted to this form of handling and dispensing. When a portion of such articles is desired, the index fin ger is engaged with a finger hold 65 provided'on one of the side walls 17 of the casing and the thumb is engaged with the head of the plunger and is used to press the plunger inwardly. The inward movement of the plunger which movement is to the right as viewed in Figure 3, is transmitted to the crank shaft 36 through the crank arm 38 and is transmitted to the shaft 47 through the arm 48, the end walls of the slots 60 and 61 lying nearest to the head 57 of the plunger 55 engaging these arms 38 and 48 for this purpose. The movement which is imparted to the crank shaft 36 when the plunger 55 is pressed inwardly causes the pan 35 to swing in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4 and simultaneously causes the closure plate 41 to swing similarly until the parts 35 and 41 occupy the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 4. This movement of the'pan 35 causes articles contained in the pan to be dumped therefrom onto the delivery chute 26. A portion of the pan 35 disposed uppermost of the dotted line position shown in Figure 4 coacts with the plate 41 in preventing the articles in the container 21 from falling inn down onto the delivery chute during this phase of the operation. This plate 41 by sweeping over the top of the pan 35 also determines the quantity of articles which are permitted to remain in the pan 35. When the plunger 55 is released the spring 56 moves the same outwardly that is to the left as viewed in Figures 2 and 3, and this latter movement of the plunger moves the parts 35 and 41 back to the position shown in full lines in Figure 4 wherein the pan 35 is refilled. In moving back from the dotted line position shown in Figure 4 to the full line portion shown in the same figure, a lip 35 formed on one edge of the pan 35 travels across the delivery chute 26 and displaces any articles that may be contained thereon into the drawer 30. The person desiring the articles may readily remove the'drawer 30 by grasping the finger piece 31 and pulling the drawer from the casing 13.

By adjusting the screw 51 the sweep or the are of swing of the toothed edge of the pan 41 is brought nearer to or farther away from the pan and thus the carrier 46 may be set so as tohave the plate 41 permit a heaping pan of articles to be dispensed or a level pan of articles to be dispensed and thereby the quantity dispensed may be va ried. It is to be understood that while the plate 41 is constructed of materialhaving some degree of elasticity or resiliency it must also be suflici'ently rigid to enable the plate to carry out its intended functions. It is also to be understood that the invention is adapted for organization with any of the well; known types of coin controlled or check control mechanisms widely known in the art.

I claim 1. A dispensing machine, a casing having a delivery chute, a container for the articles to be dispensed, said container being carried by the casing above the delivery chute, a combined ejecting and measuring pan arranged between the delivery chute and the ing a delivery chute, a container for the articles to be dispensed carried by the casing above the delivery chute, a swingable pan for measuring and ejecting the articles to be dispensed, said pan being arranged between the container and the delivery chute, a crank shaft carrying said pan and having a crank arm, a swinging closure plate cooperable' with the pan for determining the bulk of articles to be dispensed thereby and for preventing the articles from falling onto the container from the delivery chute during the c dispensing operation of the pan, an adjustable carrier for said swinging plate, a shaft fixed to the swinging plate and rotatably mounted on said carrier, said shaft having a crank arm and a single spring pressed operating plunger having slots in which the crank arms are operatively received.

JOSEPH WALTER SIGGE. 

